My LARGEST PB "Stocky Hawkfish"!
Known Locally As A Po'oPa'a! Popular For Slide Baiting & Soup (sells for $20/lb) In Stores!
This morning started out at a minus tide with an increase to over 2ft by early afternoon. So i positioned my sand spikes 5-7ft above the high tide mark. By 11am the spikes were in the waves. Also a humongous 7-8ft Monk Seal came in & that chased everything away. I had hooked the Hawkfish within a minute of my first cast on my second rig so i though this would be a great day. At first the line was stuck. I surmised either an eel or a bottom fish went out into the sand, grabbed the squid "ika" & went back to the reef to eat the bait.
Turned out to be the Stocky Hawkfish. Normally to hook one this large is indeed rare. Commonly used by GT anglers for sliding bait. Also in high demand for making soup stock. In Chinatown this fish averages $20 a pound. This was a large fat pig of a Hawkfish! I decided to release it. Then a humongous Hawaiian Monk Seal moved in & finally beached itself a 100yd off to my left. Should've left immediately as the fish most likely sensed the seal's presence. But i brought in 1 rig first, then the other.
Then i left for the Bay but a Covid function was going on & i was caught in that traffic jam. So i hoped the side and went to Walmart. I was home by noon, burnt skin & dehydrated. Today i was using the NEW 2020 Cedros 8000 Spinner & Coronado CDX65 Baitfeeder. Line on the Cedros & Coronado was 65lb Eminent Braid by Soft Steele. Rods are the new Okuma releases of the HCS 13ft & 14ft Surf Rods. I was told the new rod line arrived to California last week. This rod was my dream project . 2yrs ago i was shore casting "whipping" with John Bretza of Okuma from Waimea Bay to Keehi Lagoon & i explained to John my reasoning for doing this project. I'm soo happy that John ran with this!
At the last New Product Show in Honolulu i brought in all 4 prototypes w/new project reels and all the dealers there loved them. When the dealers start receiving them i'll give an in depth review of them. Really like to thank John Bretza for heading the production of these long casting surf rods!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqE4QGnFozo
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